AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He thought for a second. “Oh, yeah. My sister bought it for me. She sprayed it on me last night, and this is the same sweatshirt I was wearing. Sorry, is it bothering you?”
I laughed and shook my head. “No, not at all. It’s not bothering me.” And then he looked at me curiously. “For another day,” I responded.
“Can I come visit you at your house?” he asked.
“About that. I’ve decided to put it up for sale and move to Nashville with Genesis.”
His eyes dropped to the ground. “I think that’s good, Char.” He looked back at me with a sadness that crushed me, but I knew he was speaking honestly.
“I appreciate what you’ve given me, Levi, but a man is not the answer to my issues. I need to take time to figure out what makes me happy on my own before I can pursue another relationship.”
I had thought about it a lot last night, and as much as it pained me to walk away from Levi, it was the right thing for me right now. It wasn’t because of Bridger, I was doing it for me. I needed to heal myself. Though, grateful Levi had been there yesterday to fish me out of the water, I didn’t need a knight in shining armor to get through this. He had given me this second chance at life and that was enough right now.
“I’m not giving up on you, Charlee Cooper. I will wait for as long as it takes. When you’re ready, I will be here.”
Smiling appreciatively, I reached out my palm and rubbed his morning stubble. It was one of the many things I would miss about touching him. He leaned down and kissed me like we had kissed the first time, passionate and desperate. My fingers coiled into his hair and he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed into the kiss equally. We were perfectly matched at an imperfect time, but I had hope for us, because I now saw a future that could possibly include Levi.
Midnight yipped playfully at our feet and we both laughed. I slipped off of Levi and gave him one last feather light kiss on his lips.
“You surprised me, Coffee Guy. I’ll see you when I see you.”
I felt his eyes on me as I walked down to the path that led to the campground. Before I went too far, I turned and smiled at him, and with one last wave, I left him.
Genesis already had the trailer hooked up to my truck and I hopped in, took one last look at mine and Bridger’s beach, and said goodbye. Instead of chasing waves, I would be chasing my future.
I piled more books into a box and deemed it full enough when I picked it up and almost dropped it on my toes from the weight. Just as I was closing it up, my phone rang from somewhere in the house, and I dashed from room to room until I found it, answering it on the last ring.
“Hey,” I said out of breath.
“Are you running a marathon or packing?” Genesis laughed.
“Honestly, I feel like packing is a marathon.” I glanced around the living room at all of the filled boxes, accomplishing a lot the past several weeks. Bridger’s brothers took care of selling the house through their real estate company, so I didn’t have to officially list it. I was surprised how quickly things progressed, but once the idea took root about moving to Nashville with Genesis, I was grateful. Being here alone much longer might have crushed me, and that was a place I did not want to revisit anytime soon.
“I can’t wait for you to get here. Louie already has a million ideas for the bed and breakfast.”
I laughed. “Louie sounds like a handful.”
“He is, but the best kind. You’re going to love him. Hurry up and get here.”
“I’ll be on the road in two days, and then I’ll be there before you know it.”
“Hey, Char, have you talked to Levi at all since we left the beach?”
Excited shivers rushed through me. I had thought a lot about Levi and how I left things between us, but it didn’t feel like the right time for us. No good ever came out of a rebound relationship, and although Bridger had been gone for over two years, my heart still felt raw. I needed more time to heal.
“I haven’t. He texted me a couple of times, but I didn’t know how to respond, so I didn’t.” My face crinkled with a little guilt.
“Charlee Waverly Cooper, you left that man on ‘read’? That’s a serious offense.” She paused. “At least that’s what the Gen Z kids say at the salon.”
We both laughed.
“I’ll think about messaging him back later when I get the rest of these boxes packed.”
“Has anyone been there to help you?”
“Oh, yeah. All of Bridger’s sisters and brothers have come by, and his mom has brought me dinner almost every night. It’s been nice.” I smiled, thinking about the time I’ve spent with them since I came back from my trip. I didn’t realize how much I missed them until I saw them again. They were disappointed I was moving so far away, but they were happy for me, and we promised to keep in touch often and planned on getting together every year on Bridger’s birthday.
“I should let you get to it. Drive safe and call me at every stop. If you get any weird vibes, send me pictures of license plates and sus peeps.”
